Child's Bib

Materials

Introductory Statement

A bib is very necessary to protect the dress of a child when eating.

The material used in making the bib should be washable and heavy enough to prevent moisture from penetrating quickly. Turkish toweling, huckaback, linen, or any smooth finished, firm, wash material will be satisfactory.

Frequently a design that will attract a child's attention is selected to ornament the bib. A bib is very practical because it can be removed and washed much more easily than a dress. It is usually fastened around the neck with ties made of white tape or of washable ribbon. Buttons and buttonholes are often used.

Where buttons and buttonholes are used as in this lesson, the bib must be fitted more carefully to the neck than would be required if ties were used.

Suggestions For Optional Modification

Child's Bib

No. 1. This bib is made of Turkish toweling. The hem is basted toward the wrong side and single featherstitched in place with rather coarse, mercerized embroidery cotton. The design is drawn on the cloth freehand and worked in outline etching stitch.

Child's Bib

No. 2. This bib was purchased with the figures stamped. The edge was finished with a plain hem on the wrong side and the figures outlined with the etching stitch.

Child's Kimono Bib

No. 3. This bib is cut from a child's kimono apron pattern, it is about 5" long in the back and 16" long in front. It is finished with a plain hem around the edge; the sleeves are tied together with ribbon.

Child's Bib

No. 4. This bib is made from huckaback. Any bib pattern may be used and a freehand design may be transferred onto the bib with carbon paper. The edge is finished with a narrow hem and rick-rack braid.

Working Directions For Child's Bib

Preparing Material

A commercial pattern may be used for this bib, or a freehand pattern may be made as follows:

To Draft The Pattern

Use a rectangular piece of wrapping paper 10" wide and 13" long. Fold the paper lengthwise in the center.

(1) From the top corner of the fold measure down 6" (the depth of the neck), place a dot and number it 1.

(2) To lay out the width of the back of the bib, measure out from the top corner of the fold 3 3/4" on the unfolded edge of the paper, place a dot and number it 2.

(3) To get the proper slant for the opening at the back of the bib, measure down from the same corner 2" on the fold; number this 3. Connect 3 and 2 with a straight line.

(4) To locate curve for the back of the neck measure up from dot 3 on this slanting line l 1/4". Place a dot and number it 4.

(5) To aid in drawing the curve for the neck, measure down from dot 3 on the fold 2 1/2"; place a dot and measure out from the fold 2 1/4"; place a dot; number the dot 5. Connect dots 1, 5 and 4 with a continuous curved line.

To Round Corners:-

(6) From the upper corner of the unfolded edge of the paper measure down 3" and place a dot and number it 6. Connect 6 and 2 with an outward curved line.

(7) To round the corners of the bottom of the bib, measure up 2" from the bottom corner of the unfolded edge of the paper and place a dot. From the same corner, measure out 2" on the bottom edge and place a dot. Connect the two dots with an outward curved line. Cut on all the lines drawn.

To Design the Scallops:

(8) To make the scallops around the edge of the pattern, keep it folded and draw a line 1/4" from the edge of the pattern all the way around. Lay a penny, or circular piece of cardboard that size, 6n the fold at the bottom of the pattern and draw a line around the lower edge of the penny, making it touch the bottom of the pattern and come just to the parallel line above it. Lift the penny and place it so a line drawn around the lower edge will touch the bottom of the pattern and cross the parallel line in two places, one end touching the end of the first scallop. Draw the curved line. Repeat all the way around on the outside edge of the folded pattern as shown in the illustration. Adjust the last notches to make them neat and even. Use a half dollar or a piece of cardboard that size and lay out the top curve of each scallop. Cut out the pattern around the bottom edge of the scallops.

To Cut Out The Bib

Fold the material lengthwise in the center, lay the center fold of the pattern on the fold of the material. Pin in two or three places to keep the pattern from slipping. Cut around the neck and mark around the scallops, but do not cut them out until after they are embroidered and the bib is laundered.

To Finish The Neck

The neck is bound with bias tape. Use 3/8" commercial bias tape, which is already folded, or cut bias strips (Chap. II, Par. 143) making them 3/4" wide. Turning the seam towards the wrong side, baste one edge around the curve in the neck with even basting (Chap. II, Par. 103), then sew it on with the combination stitch (Chap. II, Par. 108). Turn the facing or binding, back toward the wrong side and turn under the raw edge, making the facing even. Baste carefully in place, then hem in place.

Fold, baste and sew in place with running stitches a hem one-half inch wide on each edge of the opening at the back of the bib.

Cut and work two buttonholes (Chap. II, Par. 136) crosswise of the hem in the right hand edge of the opening and sew on the buttons to correspond (Chap. II, Par. 135).